MUTTIAH Muralitharan and Glen Chapple had Essex in trouble at Old Trafford as Lancashire closed in on victory in CricInfo County Championship Division One.

MUTTIAH Muralitharan and Glen Chapple had Essex in trouble at Old Trafford as Lancashire closed in on victory in CricInfo County Championship Division One.

Visitors Essex were forced to follow on from their first innings as they could only score 226 in reply to the home sides 431.

Muralitharan took six wickets in Essex s first innings, finishing with amazing figures of 5-53 from 48 overs, as the Red Rose bowlers caused havoc, but the visitors were saved by a superb 116 not out from Stuart Law. And he offered more resistance in the second innings with an unbeaten 60 from his sides total of 156-4.

But with Chapple claiming three of those wickets, Lancashire were well placed going into the final day.

Mal Loye was poised to complete a double century as Northamptonshire set about building up an impressive first innings lead against Somerset at Northampton.

Replying to Somerset s 299, Northamptonshire were 358-5 at the close, with Loye unbeaten on 194.

Steve Stubbings led Derbyshires fightback with 83 not out against Gloucestershire in a Second Division encounter at Derby.

Centuries from Mark Alleyne and Jeremy Snape had helped Gloucestershire total 560 for eight declared.

The home side lost opener Luke Sutton (13) before Stubbings and Chris Bassano (40no) steered them to 142 without further loss.

Hampshire suffered a dramatic collapse which put them in danger of losing to visitors Durham at West End.

The home side, who trailed Durham s 266 by 20 going into their second innings, were 134 for seven by the close.

Giles Whites 44 and an unbeaten 31 from Zimbabwe s Neil Johnson were the mainstay of Hampshires poor display.

John Morris and Greg Smith held the key for Nottinghamshire as they attempted to match Sussex s first innings 354 at Trent Bridge.

Morris was unbeaten on 58 and Smith had scored 34 not out from the home sides 268 for the loss of eight wickets.

Middlesexs chances of building on their slender first innings lead at Edgbaston suffered a double blow when they lost openers Andrew Strauss and Mike Roseberry.

Roseberry retired hurt without scoring and when Strauss went for 44 things started to look bleak.

But Middlesex, having seen the home side score 251 in reply to their 273, reached the close with the total on 81 for one thanks to an unbeaten 32 from Robin Weston.